Message From NASA Administrator Michael GriffinthWith this, an addendum to the 10 revision of NASA’s Implementation Plan for Space Shuttle Return to Flight and Beyond, our Shuttle program team presents the culmination of 29 months of intensive effort to make the Space Shuttle system, and NASA as a whole, stronger, and safer. Following our rigorous Flight Readiness Review, the launching of the Space Shuttle Discovery and its seven person crew on the STS-114 mission is now within sight. This flight will test and validate hardware and procedures developed since the tragic loss of Columbia and its valiant crew. The Discovery mission represents an important step in our nation’s unfolding journey of exploration that will take astronaut pioneers back to the Moon, to Mars, and beyond. Return to Flight has been a massive effort, focusing the energies of every technical discipline across all the NASA Centers and Space Shuttle contractors on a very specific objective. I am proud of this Agency for its hard work, diligence, and professionalism in working toward the goal of flying the Shuttle safer than ever before. I also appreciate the work of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board and the Stafford-Covey Return to Flight Task Group. The members of both bodies have provided valuable recommendations and analysis to our Shuttle program. We know from hard experience that human space exploration is not and will never be without risk. Nothing ...